


A Tale of Shadows and Flames

by SayaTsukihime



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Angst and Feels, Canon Universe, Culture Shock, Dragons, Emotional Baggage, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fae Magic, Family Feels, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Illyrians, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Language Barrier, Magic, Mates, Mind Reading, Modern Girl in Prythian, Mostly Canon Compliant, Mythology References, Slow Burn, Velaris
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:02:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23828044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SayaTsukihime/pseuds/SayaTsukihime
Summary: When I went on that hiking trip in Ireland, I didn't expect that I'd be spirited away to a land full of magic and aggressive, ridiculously attractive bat-men. But thanks to my bad luck, it did happen.(Crossposted on fanfiction.net)
Relationships: Azriel (ACoTaR)/Original Female Character(s), Feyre Archeron/Rhysand
Comments: 37
Kudos: 86
Collections: Time Travel and World Travel





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story begins between the first and second book, shortly after Feyre broke the curse. The rest is pretty much self-explanatory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, I have no self-restraint. I shouldn't upload yet another story, but I just can't help it. I tend to jump between fandoms to avoid writer's block. I hope someone out there enjoys this story since that is the reason why I bother to upload it at all :)

Leaves crunched under my tramping boots as I trekked through the small forested area to my destination. I was on my way to one of the lesser-known stone circles of Ireland.

This trip had originally been planned by my younger brother Fabrizio, who'd been a fan of stone circles, anything ancient, as well as Celtic history and mythology – he'd been studying it at an University – but due to unforeseen circumstances I was here alone.

It was the first trip on my long overdue two-week holiday, several others would lead me to different cities all across Europe. Afterwards, I'd return to my grandma's house in Naples – I moved there from Sydney last month.

After everything that had happened in the past few years, I'd decided that it was time for a change in scenery and social circles. I really needed it. Besides, Naples had always felt more like home to me than Sydney. My best friend, Hannah, had moved to London after she'd married. I was going to visit her and her husband David during the second week of my holiday.

After several more minutes of wandering through the forest, I finally reached the stone circle I'd been looking for. Because of the fog that lingered in the forest and kept out the light of the morning sun, I'd almost passed it, if it weren't for the mushrooms growing on the ground. Maybe I should've stayed at the hotel and should have waited until the fog lifted around midday, but I'd been too impatient to wait any longer.

Something had urged me to go out there _now,_ so here I was.

With a small smile I eyed the circle of mushrooms that surrounded the rock formation before I inspected the stones with interest. Natural occurring circles of mushrooms were often called fairy rings and a subject of folklore worldwide, particularly here in Western Europe. This one was no exception, but it was special because it grew around a stone circle, making it a double circle, which was rare.

The largest of the stones, a monolith, was positioned in the middle of both circles – quite peculiar, my brother had told me. There was an intertwined pattern, an intricate quaternary Celtic knot, and runes carved into the stone. The runes belonged to an unknown runic language that no one had been able to decipher yet.

According to the legend Fabrizio had shared with me, several people who had stepped into this circle in the past hundreds years had been spirited away by it, were kidnapped by elves and fairies and brought into their realm to be never seen again.

Of course, that was just some local mumbo-jumbo, superstitious beliefs, to explain the absence of people who had either been eaten by wolfs or robbed and killed by bandits in the woods in the past, but it was intriguing nonetheless.

While I enjoyed pretty much anything of the fantasy or supernatural genre, be it books, movies or games, liking something and believing in something was a different matter. I've always had a penchant for creepy fantasy stories – a passion I shared with my younger brother. It might have started with the tales about Roman mythology our Grandma Clara had told us when we were kids.

“Would you have been able to decipher what is written on this stone, Fabrizio?” I asked quietly. “Wish you were here...”

Deciding that it was time for a break, I sat down my backpack in the middle of the circle and retrieved a sandwich and a bottle of water.

While I was eating my lunch, I relished the smells and sounds of nature, the birds that were singing unseen in the trees. Not all of them had travelled south yet in late October. I rarely went out into nature like this – I was a city girl – but thought that it was a nice change for a few hours.

Sooner or later, however, I would miss society and all the perks a city had, so I could probably never live anywhere else. I couldn't deny, though, that the air and sounds were much more pleasant here. This trip truly was a breather of fresh air in all aspects.

A cool breeze blew over the small clearing and made me shiver. I was glad I had put on a warmer jacket than the one I had originally intended to wear. Due to living in Australia or Italy my entire life, I wasn't used to cold weather. The temperature here in Ireland was already very low, especially in the mornings and nights.

Just when I had put my backpack on and was about to leave the clearing, an urge to touch the stone with the runes overcame me. Not thinking much of it, I approached the monolith and traced the knot and writing with a finger. I wondered who had carved them into the stones.

Then, I lowered my hand and turned around, ready to leave, but stopped in my tracks when I noticed a light growing behind me. Curious, I turned back to see what was going on.

To my shock the monolith was glowing from within in a bright, white light. Only the runes and the knot gave off an otherworldly blue glow that... stirred something in me. I couldn't help but stare at it as if I was hypnotized by it and was rooted to the spot.

The smell of metal was suddenly in the air and with every breath my blood seemed to flow faster through my veins. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, hear how the blood rushed through my body, that was becoming warmer and warmer with every passing second.

The world around me began to spin as a strange energy coursed through my body and I fell to my knees, feeling faint and not quite in control of my own body anymore. I couldn't think straight and was afraid of what was happening to me.

Was I hallucinating? Was I having something like a heart attack, or a stroke?

The world around me suddenly exploded into light and there was a ripping sound, as if fabric got torn. Then I wasn't kneeling in the grass anymore but was falling.

It was the last sensation I perceived before I lost consciousness.

* * *

Blinding white light met my eyes when I managed to wrench them open. On reflex, they welled up with tears, and I had to close them again until they had adjusted to the light. My whole body ached like after a workout, but at the same time I felt lighter somehow, stronger, and more aware.

Then I remembered the strange experience that had made me faint. What on earth had occurred back then with the stone? I'd been frightened to death! Did I really have a heart attack, or a stroke? The symptoms I'd had were not quite right for either of those medical conditions, though. Still, I definitely needed to get myself checked out at a hospital.

I curled my fingers in the grass, only to realise that I was gripping... snow? The feeling of the cool substance underneath my fingertips was strangely intense.

What the...? Had it snowed while I was unconscious? It was only October, though, so that couldn't be right.

Deeming that my eyes must have adjusted enough, I carefully opened them and blinked a few times against the light of day. For some reason, it seemed brighter than normal. From my uncomfortable lying position on my backpack, I could see the deep blue sky and the sun.

Which shouldn't be the case. The stone circle was in the middle of the forest and tree branches should be in my line of sight. Slowly, I sat up and looked at my surroundings. I couldn't believe my eyes and had to pinch myself to ensure that I wasn't dreaming.

Apart from patches of forest in the distance, there was nothing but snow and mountains in all directions. For a moment, I just stared in complete disbelief at the scenery and turned my head in all directions, as if in search for a hidden camera.

Because this couldn't be real.

People didn't just get knocked out by weird glowing stones and then woke up in the middle of a snowy tundra. But this place was too realistic to be a dream – I felt the cold, wet snow between my fingers, the cool wind on my cheeks and the low temperature of the area, smelt the fresh mountain air.

What made me frown even more was the fact that there weren't any footprints in the snow around my position, as if I had simply fallen from the sky or had been teleported to this place. Of course, that was impossible. Someone must have kidnapped me and had left me here for an unknown reason.

Without leaving any footprints...

Had I been dropped from a helicopter?

I needed a moment to stomach all of this and push down the fear and anxiety that welled up in me. I needed to stay calm – falling into a panic wouldn't help me here. Deep breaths, I needed to take deep breaths.

My breath came out in white puffs – it was icy cold here despite the sunlight that provided some warmth – and I wondered how I hadn't frozen to death while I was unconscious, or why I wasn't feeling as cold as I should. My jacket was made for autumn weather so it wasn't that warm, and while being water-repellent it only went over my butt.

Which was probably the reason why my butt wasn't wet from the snow like the rest of my legs. Skinny jeans were less than ideal in this situation. They were already frozen stiff.

Luckily, I could still feel and move all of my limbs, toes, and fingers, and counted it as a small blessing even though I had no logical explanation for it. I hoped that I wasn't already suffering from hypothermia because I didn't feel like I was freezing to death. In any case, I needed to get out of here as fast as possible.

I was also physically unharmed and all of my clothes were still in place, so no one had done anything to me while I was unconscious. After confirming that I was unhurt, I pulled my phone out of the backpack, once again startled by the strangely intense feeling of the fabric and plastic underneath my fingertips. I was relieved that it was still there, together with my wallet and keys.

Why hadn't my kidnapper taken it away from me while I was unconscious? I had no idea. My hope was quickly destroyed, however, when I saw that the phone didn't have any kind of reception here in the middle of nowhere, but at least it was still working and had 87 percent of battery left.

After writing most of my contacts as well as the local police and emergency services messages that would be sent once I had reception or internet again, I put my phone into energy-saving mode and stowed it away. Then I drank from my water bottle and ate a part of one of the two energy bars I had packed.

Another thing that struck me as odd was my eyesight. I could see every pore on my hand, details in the fabric of my clothes and phone as well as the individual snow flakes if I concentrated on it. The colours were more intense as well and my sight was clearer and sharper than it had ever been.

Had my kidnapper drugged me? The possible answer scared me so I didn't question how I was able to see like this.

I watched the sun in the sky to determine where east was, the direction where I had come from, but as the sun stood right at the zenith, I would have to wait until it sank to find out where east was. It seemed to be the most prudent to me to leave the mountains before it got dark and even colder, or before my abductor showed up, so I began my descent towards the treeline I could see further down the glittering, snowy plane.

This place was beautiful in a rugged way. Nature appeared more pristine here, the scenery more tranquil and vibrant, while at the same time more mysterious. Before I tried to figure out how the heck I had ended up here in the first place, I had to get back to civilisation as fast as possible – I had just one other energy bar left in my small backpack.

Water wasn't an issue, thankfully. I had another bottle of water in there, and even if I ran out of it, I could just fill it with snow and carry it close to my body, underneath my jacket, so it would melt.

Despite my resolve to remain calm, fear and anger waged inside of me. This was supposed to be a short, relaxing trip through the forest and not an exercise on how to survive in snow-covered mountains!

Whoever had brought me to this place had a shitty sense of humour. Or was just plain sadistic. For a moment a small part of me wondered if I might have been spirited away to the fairy realm, but I quickly discarded that ridiculous thought.

I let out a few Italian curses when I sunk almost down to my knees in the snow while taking the first few steps through it.

This trip was going to be a pain in the ass.

* * *

It took longer than expected to reach the treeline and it was absolutely exhausting to make my way through the deep snow. The first thing I did once I reached the forest was to check for reception. There still was none. I sighed in frustration but pushed down my growing fear. Surely, I would be able to phone someone sooner or later, I just had to be patient and walk a little further down the mountains.

After a pee break – luckily, I always had tissues and hand sanitizer in my bag – I continued my journey through the rows of spruce trees. Their scent was more intense than what I was used to. Or rather, my sense of smell was heightened somehow.

The mountain air was impossibly fresh as well, carrying no traces of exhaust gases of any kind, but I could detect hints of metal in it, like before I lost consciousness. There were also some strange scents in the air that reminded me of big cats from the zoo, which unsettled me.

What if there were wild cats like lynxes out here, or even wolves?

No, Ireland didn't have them... Or did it? Ireland wasn't supposed to have snowy tundras either, but here I was. If I ever met my kidnapper, I would sue their ass to doomsday after I'd asked how they had brought me here in under two hours.

While stomping angrily through the trees and snow and being astounded by my own stamina, I paid attention to my surroundings, but thankfully, or regrettably, there was nothing but spruce trees and snow here.

Once I reached the other end of the forested area, there still wasn't any civilisation, like I hoped there would be, but just another plane of snow ahead, that sparkled in the sun as if it was mocking me.

My uneasiness and frustration grew. At least I was going east judging from the position of the sun in the sky. And not freezing to death for some miraculous reason. This really wasn't normal.

I walked and walked, and checked my phone for reception once in a while, but never had any signal. There was nothing here. No people. No houses. I saw nothing apart from a few squirrels or birds once I reached another forested area.

When the sun was beginning to vanish behind the horizon and I was still in the mountains, I finally succumbed to panic. By this point I was scared, tired, grumpy, and hungry. My legs and feet hurt from the strenuous activity, and I could feel the sweat running down my temple, chest, and back.

In my entire life I had never slept outside, had never gone camping, had never been alone in the wilderness like this. All of my sparse knowledge about survival in the forest came from movies or books, that had shown or mentioned it briefly, and my own common sense.

The sky was taking on an orange-reddish colour when I came to the frightening conclusion that I would have to stay the night out here in this unknown forest. Together with the local wildlife.

When I entered this forested area, I'd finally seen trails of the animals I'd somehow smelt earlier. The paw prints I'd spotted were twice the size of my head, and the trails that had been left behind by the claws of the animals were huge, too.

The tracks had to belong to the largest bears in existence – it was the only fitting size. No wild cat was that large. I'd never thought I'd find out what a bear smelled like. Or encounter one in the wild. The mere thought sent shivers of fear down my spine.

After that realisation I needed a few moments to find my composure again. While I wasn't freezing to death as I should be, I guessed that I had to find a safe resting place nonetheless if I didn't want to be eaten. I kept looking for some kind of cave where I could take shelter, but it was in vain. There wasn't a place where I could hide myself from whatever animals were roaming around in these mountains.

It was pretty clear by now that I wasn't in Ireland anymore, and I was even considering the possibility that I might have been spirited away to a distant land by the stone circle, like in one of the legends my younger brother had told me about.

The only other explanation how I'd ended up here was that I'd been kidnapped by someone who owned a helicopter or private jet. Even then it didn't explain the Alpine scenery that couldn't be found anywhere in Ireland. According to my phone I had only been unconscious for about two hours, which wasn't enough time to smuggle me into another country, to this isolated mountain area.

And if somebody had abducted me, why would they leave me in the middle of nowhere with my phone intact and not even attempt to steal the money in my purse, or the jewellery I was wearing?

Nothing made any sense.

It had been a while since I'd climbed a tree, but I figured it was my best option to sleep on a tree branch instead of staying on the ground, where one of those bears could easily spot or reach me. While the forest was growing darker around me and with it my mood, I searched for a spruce tree with low-hanging branches.

After I had done my business some distance away, I carefully climbed up the suitable tree that I had found – with more ease than I'd expected from myself and my exhausted body – but received a few scratches from the needles in the process. At least the thick foliage hid me well from sight and protected me from the cold wind.

I was glad that I had never been particularly afraid of heights and settled down on a thick branch about four metres above the ground. While I was eating the last part of my first energy bar and drinking some more water, I watched the last rays of the sun vanish behind the horizon with growing dread.

The energy bar didn't really help against the hunger that I'd been suffering from since a few hours ago, but I didn't dare to eat my last energy bar just yet. I didn't know how much longer it would take until I was out of this territory, and I had neither reception nor had I seen any signs of human life on the way.

I pulled down my hood and adjusted my long, slightly curly hair to sit around my neck to keep warm during the night. I'd forgotten about the silver necklace with a small, star-shaped sapphire pendant, earrings in the same design as well as a pearl and an additional small diamond stud on each ear and my various silver rings of different designs I was wearing.

Since metal conducted the cold, I removed them to prevent frostbite in the night, although I felt perfectly fine with my jewellery on. My body temperature seemed to be higher than it should be after that incident with the stone. I prayed that it wasn't the beginning of a fever.

While I was sitting in the tree in the middle of nowhere and trying to remain calm, I gazed up at the night sky and watched how the stars appeared. They had been faintly visible during the day as well if you looked closely, but now... they were breathtakingly beautiful and bright.

I'd never seen the stars so clearly, not even in the Australian outback, or seen them shining with such intense colours and brightness for that matter. However, my awe quickly turned into confusion when I was unable to recognise any of the constellations, and then into pure horror as I looked at the moon.

That thing in the sky resembled the moon, but it was larger or closer, or both, and it didn't have the same dark maria between the impact craters and the brighter crustal highlands. It was a different, foreign moon that I had never seen before.

I was so absorbed in staring at that unknown celestial body, this fake moon, that I almost didn't notice the faint sounds of something creeping through the snow.

Towards me.

The wind quieted down and even the forest seemed to hold its breath because of whatever had entered it. My pulse accelerated as a different kind of fear crept up my spine.

A guttural howl suddenly echoed through the trees that made the blood in my veins freeze and hairs on my arms stand. My mouth became impossibly dry.

That... that was definitely no bear or wildcat. The footsteps grew louder as the thing approached my hiding place.

Then, I finally saw what kind of creature had made the horrific noise as it crept closer and closer. My heart seemed to stop for a moment before it sped up to an impossible speed, and I had to press a hand over my mouth, so the thing that looked like it had emerged from a nightmare wouldn't hear me whimper out of fear.

I didn't dare to move another muscle when I stared at the beast in deadly terror. In my entire life I'd never seen something as terrifying as the demonic creature on the ground that was scenting the air.

Jumping from a cliff, spotting a Huntsman spider on the wall of my room in the middle of the night, encountering a shark while swimming in the ocean, nothing had ever scared me more than that creature down there on the forest ground.

It was a grotesque abomination between a hairless mutated wolf, hedgehog and bear. Its eyes glowed in an ominous scarlet hue, menacing spikes grew out of its leathery black skin, and it had teeth as sharp and large as its claws. The thing was exuding malice in a way I'd never experienced before. That monster definitely wasn't from earth.

Maybe I had died in that stone circle and had woken up in hell. That would certainly explain how that creature down there existed outside a horror film. But it wasn't enough that there was one of the things, no, a second and third demon appeared, all sniffing the air in search for something.

In search for me. In this snowy tundra I was the only large prey around for kilometres.

I begged every god and goddess there was that the beasts wouldn't spot me, but I wasn't particularly lucky today.

As if one of the demonic creatures had heard my silent prayer, its head snapped right into my direction, where my hiding place was. Its eerie eyes fixated on me and blackish saliva ran down its jaws and dropped into the snow. I almost fell out of the tree when it let out another deep howl while staring at me with ravenous hunger reflected in its old, cruel eyes.

The other two large beasts imitated the horrific howl. Cold sweat ran down my back, and I shivered uncontrollably even though my insides seemed to become warmer in response to my fear for my life.

The branch I was sitting on shook violently when the creatures attacked my tree with vicious blows of their large claws. I let out a cry of distress and clung to the tree branches with all my strength. The impact shook me to my core.

Snow fell from the branches, but it didn't deter the hellish beasts. They continued with their assault. I knew then that sooner or later they would succeed in taking the tree down and get to me as a result.

And there was nothing I could do against it.

I had no weapon to defend myself – I just had my backpack and the clothes I was wearing, I didn't even own a pocket knife. But I doubted that I could have used a weapon anyway, because I was completely frozen in fear and unable to move.

Tears ran down my face while my eyes were glued to the monsters several meters underneath me.

It was clear how this was going to end for me. I would end up as their snack, get eaten alive.

This was not how I wanted to die – in an alien world, underneath unknown stars, and by being preyed upon by living nightmares above all – but I didn't have any choice in the matter.

The tree creaked dangerously and began to lean towards one direction. In turn, the beasts clawed at it with even more vigour. With a grip like iron steel, I held onto the tree branches, feeling as if I was about to faint from sheer fear and horror at the realisation that I'd die here.

All the problems and difficulties I had ever faced in my life seemed insignificant as the tree finally lost its balance.

I screamed like a banshee when I fell, the demons waiting for me on the ground with open jaws, showing me their black, black maws.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it and what you think is going to happen next :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When I went on that hiking trip in Ireland, I didn't expect that I'd be spirited away to a land full of magic and aggressive, ridiculously attractive bat-men. But thanks to my bad luck, it did happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait and thank you so much for the feedback so far!  
> I hope all of you will enjoy this chapter as well and where I'm going with this story!

When one of the horrific creatures jumped up to take a bite out of me while I was still in the air, the strange warm feeling that had been building up in my body suddenly rushed through my veins and _burst_ out of me. Out of nowhere, eerie blue flames engulfed the monster, that had been about to maul me, and the tree I was clinging to and turned them into cinders in the blink of an eye.

The two other creatures and my surroundings didn't fare much better and were set aflame as well because of their close proximity. After that quick observation, I collided with the ground, every part of my body tingling because of the odd energy rush. My fall was softened by partially melted snow but still took the air out of my lungs.

The remaining monsters screeched in agony and burned to death before I could even attempt to get up from my lying position in the slush, the blistering hot firestorm raging around me. I watched everything in a daze, unable to process what was happening. My heart was pounding fast and my ears were ringing.

The smell of burning wood, smoke and flesh mixed with a strange metallic scent and was overwhelming. The snow in the entire area around me was melting.

The azure blue firestorm subsided almost as fast as it had arrived; the flames flickered out and left small fires behind that consumed the last remains of the trees. Those fires quickly lost their unusual colour and took on a normal amber hue.

I breathed heavily as I eyed my surroundings, still high on adrenaline and in some state of shock after being almost eaten alive. It could have been minutes or even hours before I could form coherent thoughts again and tried to push myself up from my lying position on the ground.

As I did so with shaking arms, something pulled on the muscles in my back area and I stilled. There was an unusual weight on my head and at my back as well. I blinked and frowned as I felt new muscles, new _limbs,_ that were painfully constricted because of my backpack, at my back twitch.

My blood ran cold at that discovery.

What... what was that? What was this weight on my head?

More questions popped into my head.

Why the heck hadn't I been burned to a crisp, and why had I hardly felt the heat of the fire? How was I able to breathe in this smoke?

And where had the fire even come from?

I'd read and watched enough fantasy books and movies to have an idea as to what the answer to the third question could be.

There was a possibility that the blue flames were connected to the strange warm _energy_ , that I could still vaguely feel inside me. It couldn't be a coincidence that I'd felt it breaking out of me just when the fire broke out. As crazy as it sounded, maybe I'd somehow subconsciously _created_ the fire with this energy? Perhaps it was some form of magic?

_Magic._

A short hysteric laugh escaped me at the thought. Could that really be the explanation? I couldn't wrap my mind around that. Couldn't believe something fantastical like magic existed.

But the evidence spoke for itself.

Nightmarish monsters I'd never seen before lived in this place and while it was cold here, I somehow hadn't died from hypothermia yet nor was I feeling particularly cold. The fire hadn't burnt me or my clothes, as far as I could tell, either even though it definitely should have. And somehow, my senses had become sharper and there was _something_ attached my head and back...

I've felt _different_ ever since I woke up here. The fire... magic... whatever it was, had come to my aid and protected me when my life was in danger.

Maybe I'd really entered the fairy realm... or hell.

I did some breathing exercises to combat the panic that was threatening to overtake me at that conclusion, sending a silent thanks to my therapist who'd taught them to me.

When I'd calmed down somewhat and had pushed myself up into a more comfortable sitting position, I finally dared to gaze at the things on my back. I wanted to know what I was dealing with.

Wings. Huge, leathery, black wings with an ivory spike at the top were attached to my back. They resembled bat wings.

With a shaky finger I reached out and touched the thin membrane of one because I couldn't believe that they were real. It felt as silky and soft as skin, but more disturbing than that was the fact that I could feel the touch not only with my finger but also from the end of the wing. I shivered and quickly retracted my hand in mild disgust and horror.

The wings were _real_ and _attached_ to me.

I took a few more shaky breaths and stared at my muddy hands as I tried to comprehend that.

Unfortunately, this made me notice that my nails were now unusually long and pointy compared to before – I always kept them short and manicured because of my job and preferred them that way.

My friend Hannah had once coaxed me into getting sharp acrylic nails for a vampire costume for Halloween and this disaster reminded me of that time. Only that the sharp, pointy nails were real now.

Shit. What the hell did all of this mean? Was I transforming into a monster? Was this world responsible for it?

Could I even return home looking like this? I didn't want to end up in a secret government facility where they would perform terrible experiments on me once I was spotted by the authorities.

However, it was open to debate if I'd find a way home in the first place...

I shook my head.

No! I shouldn't think like this.

I'd somehow entered this strange world, so there had to be a way out of here, too. Maybe I could get rid of the wings and any other unwanted changes, too, in the process.

Perhaps there were even other people like me here as well – the missing persons I'd read about. Normal birds and squirrels existed in this realm, so I could hold onto that hope. Maybe there were friendly fairies or elves here, too.

Admittedly, that were a lot of maybes, but I couldn't just give up on finding a way home even if I had become a monster. I still wanted to see my friends Hannah and Alice, my grandmother Clara, and my annoying cousins again, no matter what.

However, I decided that I needed to know what else had changed even though I was terrified of finding out.

I loosened the straps of my backpack and carefully removed it from my back, pushing the wings through the straps with a grimace. Ugh, touching the things again made me feel queasy.

Then, I fetched my small pocket mirror from my backpack. I almost let go of it because of what I saw in the reflection. For a few heartbeats all of my thoughts stopped.

My eyes. They still were azure blue in colour, but a light, no, the blue fire was burning in them – my irises had a slight but unmistakable glow to them. But it didn't stop there.

There was something weird about my face and sun-kissed skin – courtesy of my half-Italian heritage and living in places where the sun shone a lot – that I couldn't quite put my finger on. My features were still the same, but somehow seemed more... refined at the same time.

There was a radiance, an evenness to my skin and features that was beyond anything simple skincare or make-up could achieve. The pale scars on my right temple, cheek and side of the neck, a constant reminder of the accident, were still there, though.

I took a few more deep breaths, which made me aware of another change as I watched my reflection in the mirror – my canines were elongated. On top of that, two slender ivory horns that contrasted with my inky black hair sprouted from my head. They were smooth to the touch and didn't budge when I tugged at them.

Alright, I had no idea what I was supposed to be. Had I been cursed? Was I some kind of fire-wielding vampire/demon fairy?

“Fuck,” I mumbled angrily, fearfully, and clutched the hand mirror tighter with a trembling hand, somehow managing to crack it.

I pulled my legs close to my body and put my head between my knees, squeezing my eyes shut as I breathed in and out.

I looked eerie. Alien. Inhuman.

I wasn't okay or comfortable with this. 

I felt light-headed and sick. My stomach churned. Just a few seconds later I turned to the side and retched, losing the contents of my stomach.

Somehow the trembling was even worse afterwards and tears flooded my eyes.

I was scared. Scared of this world and what it was doing to me.

I let myself cry until no more tears would come and I felt a little lighter. I was exhausted, mentally, emotionally and physically, but I didn't want to stay in this forest to rest, since I didn't know whether there were more of those malicious creatures in this area.

I wiped the last tears away and got back on my feet. I winced as the weight of the wings tugged at the muscle in my back and pretty much everywhere else. They had a considerable weight, but were comparatively light for their size, I guessed, about the weight of the backpack.

Perhaps they just seemed so heavy because I'd never used those muscles before. The wings hung down like limp rags, the tips half-stuck in the dried mud. Not that I was particularly up for it anyway, but flying with them was out of the question. The things would doubtlessly make my journey even more difficult and exhausting.

Oh god, I really had _wings_...

I checked myself for injuries or burns but found none, much to my astonishment. My clothes and face were covered in dried mud, however, and parts of my clothes and backpack were indeed scorched. My jacket and shirt were ripped in the back, where the wings must have pierced through, so taking the clothes off was impossible without cutting them open.

My limbs and ribs felt a little tender from the fall but breathing didn't hurt. The smoke and no doubt dangerous fumes in the air didn't affect me much either, even though that made no sense to me.

Nothing made any sense anymore.

A check of my backpack showed that my phone and stainless steel water bottle had survived the fire, but the last energy bar had melted. In this cold climate it would become solid again soon, so I wouldn't have to worry about food for some time longer.

It was time to go.

I put my backpack on – the other way around, of course – and tried to tuck the wings to my back, so I wouldn't feel them drag on the ground while I was walking. But I couldn't hold them up for long. I continued my descent because I needed to find food and I wouldn't find that up here in the mountains. I could search for a way home after that.

Survival was my first priority.

My exhaustion got worse as I continued my journey in the dark and the adrenaline left my body. At least it was convenient that I could see just fine in the dark now, as if it was merely a very cloudy day instead of the middle of the night, even though it was also very unsettling.

No matter how tired I was, I didn't dare to stop walking, in fear that more creatures that lurked in the dark would turn up as soon as I stopped moving.

God, this whole trip was the most frightening and strangest thing that had ever happened to me.

* * *

By the time the sky became lighter, I was stumbling over my own feet and could barely keep my eyes open. My feet and legs ached and were heavy like lead, and I felt drained somehow. Thanks to the useless wings my entire back area as well as other muscles were strained and hurt as if I'd participated in a triathlon.

More creatures found me and attacked me in the night, but every time they did, the blue flames protected me. I had absolutely no control over them, but they seemed to come out whenever I felt threatened or feared that my life was in danger. The remaining monsters disappeared before dawn.

I was still completely freaked out by this newfound _power_ , whatever it was, but more than anything, I was relieved that I hadn't ended up as a meal for any of those monsters. I'd rather be a human flame thrower than to be eaten alive, thank you very much.

It didn't mean that I liked it or wanted any of this, though.

I'd wanted a new start, wanted to begin a new chapter in my life after my vacation and have a small adventure of my own, but not like this. I didn't want to be in this place that damned stone circle had transported me to.

My grandma had even warned me not to touch anything at the stone circle, fearing that I'd be spirited away, but I'd ignored her warning, thinking that she was just being superstitious.

If only I'd listened to her.

I let out a frustrated sigh.

In any case, I was dead tired by now, too tired to think clearly about any of this, despite my increase in stamina and muscle power, and climbed another tree with my last remaining strength. Once again the wings were a burden. I almost got stuck with them and the horns between some tree branches.

My stomach was growling from hunger, but I just drank water to fill it. I'd keep the remaining energy bar for breakfast instead.

Just in case, I forced myself to wait for a few more minutes to see if the demonic creatures would return, but they seemed to have given up their hunt for me. Maybe they were nocturnal and had returned to whatever hellhole they had crawled out of now that the first light of day touched the ground.

After I had found a somewhat passable position on a sturdy tree branch, I fell into a light, fitful sleep.

* * *

It was around noon when I gave up on sleeping. I couldn't stop thinking about the monsters and my near-death experiences, my changed appearance and my situation in general. It didn't help that I had the feeling that I was about to fall from the tree branch whenever I'd almost dozed off and woke up again just before I really fell asleep.

If possible, I was even more exhausted than before I'd rested. My legs and feet were sore and full of blisters. Even my back was stiff from the uncomfortable sitting position in the tree and because of the wings.

I watched my surroundings for a few moments before I climbed down from the tree and washed my hands and face with snow. I'd completely forgotten how dirty I was until I saw my muddy clothes and felt the dried mud on my face. 

I wondered if the people back home were already searching for me and became a little homesick.

To distract myself from my resurfacing emotions, I used my fingers to comb through my dark locks and gain some control over them, as well as rid them of the things that had gotten caught in them. They were awfully tangled, dirty from dried mud and ash, as well as full of spruce needles and small twigs.

After a short morning routine, I ate half of the energy bar – it was solid again – for breakfast. It tasted less than stellar but it was better than nothing.

Then, I checked my phone for reception and whether my messages had been sent, but, of course, there was no reception in this accursed land. I turned the phone off to preserve the remaining energy since I doubted that I'd get reception in this place any time soon.

Finally, I continued my journey down the mountains and tried not to think too much about the changes or my situation in general, lest I lose my hope or motivation to go on. There had to be a way out of here.

* * *

When the sun went down again, I still hadn't reached any civilisation or the foot of the mountain. I felt pretty desperate and scared as I ate the final portion of my last energy bar.

Now I didn't have any food left, and there was still nothing but spruce trees, mountains and snow as far as the eye could see.

Oh, and a few animals here and there. Even if I knew how to hunt them, or had any equipment for it, I doubted that I'd be able to kill them. I'd never killed anything aside from insects or spiders... and those monsters last night, but maybe I could do it if I was hungry enough.

Then, I'd only need a knife to skin the the animal with and somehow make a fire – intentionally this time.

Ugh, my situation was really hopeless, wasn't it?

One of the demonic creatures turned up at my tree again during the night, but once again the blue flames suddenly appeared and burned it to ashes when it tried to attack me. It was still a daunting and stressful experience because I wasn't sure whether the fire would protect me again and I had absolutely no control over it.

Was this how it was going to be every night from now on? Would I have to live through this horrible experience again and again?

I allowed myself to cry and break down while I was waiting for dawn to come. Once the sunlight warmed my cheeks, I finally slept for a few hours, exhaustion overwhelming me.

My blisters from walking and my soreness got a little better while I slept, but my hunger had become worse after waking up and drinking water didn't help much against it anymore. I'd never been this tired or hungry before.

Would I starve to death? Or would I get eaten first?

And there was also the soul-crushing loneliness. I liked being alone, but not like this. Not when it wasn't my choice.

It was frightening to be lost in the wilderness in an unknown place with nothing to distract me from my miserable situation or thoughts. I didn't want to risk the remaining percent of my phone battery just to hear music, but I came closer and closer to doing it with every passing hour.

The occasional bird, the howling of the wind, and the sound of my own breathing and footsteps were the only sounds I could hear.

* * *

At some time during the afternoon, a strange noise made it to my ears. I stopped in my tracks and concentrated on the sound that was slowly growing louder. It sounded as if several wings were beating the air.

If those sounds were produced by birds, they had to be huge. Not wanting to risk getting attacked by oversized demonic birds, I pressed myself into the bark of a tree to hide. From my hiding place I watched the sky for the birds and was more than surprised to discover that it was a small group of bat-like creatures that were flying through the sky and not birds.

No, they weren't creatures. They looked like humans with bat wings.

Like me. The only difference was that they didn't have horns on their head.

The one at the front of the formation barked something in a language I was unable to understand before they flew directly over my hiding place.

I contemplated whether I should show myself in the hopes of getting rescued by them, but hesitated when I saw that they were carrying weapons – swords, spears and bows.

* * *

After thinking over it some more, I cursed myself for hiding. The next time I spotted the winged men, I was going to attract their attention. Between certain death out here in the snow, or facing the men with bat wings, only one of my options had a small chance of survival.

I couldn't be certain if they were friend or foe, but at this point I was willing to risk it. The hunger was getting to me. My only consolation after hours of walking was that there was less snow in the direction where the winged men had flown.

After I'd stumbled through the snow for long enough, I sat down at the base of a tree and took a break. I was tired, dizzy and nauseous from the activity, stress, the lack of food and proper sleep. Once more my thoughts circled around home, my family, and my hopeless situation.

Just a few hours later I was ready to stop for the night even though the sun hadn't set yet. I was about to collapse on the spot. There was no muscle in my body that didn't hurt.

In my frustration I let out a few curses in Italian. They echoed across the clearing I found myself in. There was no one here to hear me anyway. Once again I tried to calm down and to think positive even though it was getting dark again.

This trip could be even worse. If it were raining or snowing or if I were on my period, for example.

Ugh, this didn't really help much.

* * *

I was about to drift off to sleep when my ears picked up a familiar sound that was quickly growing louder. The sound of large wings beating the air.

The bat-men had returned. My pulse quickened in a mixture of hope and apprehension.

This was it, this was my chance.

If I didn't move from my current position and hid underneath a tree, the bat-men would see me soon. I didn't know how they would react to me, a thing with the same wings as them but with two horns on her head.

This might be my only chance to survive, though.

If the monstrous bear/wolf hybrids didn't kill me, the lack of food certainly would sooner or later.

With that mindset, I deposited my backpack next to a tree and forced myself to stay in the middle of the clearing. As expected, the bat-men spotted me as soon as the group of five flew over it.

My heart dropped when one of them yelled something at the others and they all landed with a brutal elegance in the snow around me, the impact not affecting them in the least.

I'd noticed it before thanks to my improved sight, but from up close it was even harder to miss that they all were rather tall and well-built, like soldiers or athletes. Plus, they all had dark hair and sun-tanned skin that was a little darker than mine.

The thing that stunned me the most, however, was how utterly handsome they were, almost unnaturally so. Even without the wings they wouldn't look like human men.

Most of them seemed to be in their twenties or early thirties though it was really hard to guess their correct age. Something about their appearance reminded me of my own though their eyes didn't give off a slight glow like mine.

They all wore the same black leather armour that resembled scales. One of them – perhaps the leader of the group – said something to me in a language I'd never heard before. There was a cold gleam in his hazel eyes as he let them roam over my body, including the wings on my back and horns on my head.

His voice snapped me out of my momentary stupor. “I-I don't understand you. Can you speak English?” I asked him in said language, my heart beating fast in my chest, because talking with a good-looking, winged fairy man who could either be friend or foe was bloody stressful.

The group leader narrowed his eyes and exchanged a few words with the others before two of them approached me from both sides. One of the approaching bat-men, who had longer hair that was bound at the back of his head, leered at me, which sent shivers of fear and disgust down my spine.

“What are you doing?” I asked in a tone that sounded more confident than I felt as I took a few steps back.

I tried to keep on a poker face, like when I was facing one of my father's business associates, and remain calm.

The winged man's grin widened as he retorted something. Some of the others laughed at his words and said something to him as they eyed me like a piece of meat.

My stomach turned. Even without understanding a word, I had an idea about what they might want to do with me.

This wasn't good. Not good at all. I had miscalculated. These bat-men were not friendly.

I had to get out of here.

Trusting my gut feeling, I turned on my heels, tucking the wings to my back with my last strength so I could run without having them drag over the ground. I didn't get far. In not time at all – I couldn't have taken more than five steps – the two bat-men closest to me had caught up to me and grabbed me forcefully by my arms.

The one with the bound hair even held onto my left wing, his touch on the sensitive limb and membrane making me feel even more vulnerable and uncomfortable than I already was. My heart was racing and I was in fight or flight mode as they hauled me around.

“Let go of me, you oversized bats!” I demanded, some of my temper finally showing despite my fear of them, and struggled against their grips.

I kicked at shins and crotches, _hissed_ in a distinctly inhuman way, and even bit one of the attackers when his hand came too close to my mouth, but that didn't seem to be more than an annoyance to them.

The one who was holding onto my wing tightened his grip until one of the bones inside snapped, making me cry out in pain. It was then that the fire magic finally reacted to my emotions and pain.

The two bat-men cursed and screamed as the flames burned their hands and began to consume their bodies, lighting up the darkening landscape. They let go of me in response and I fell gracelessly on my butt, but it was already too late.

I watched in horror how two creatures that resembled humans were being burned alive right in front of me, unable to look away. The stink of burned flesh permeated the air, overpowering and sickening. Only when the other winged men began to yell in anger did I manage to unglue my eyes from the nightmarish scene, crawl away from my two writhing would-be captors, and get up on my unsteady feet.

An arrow flew past my head as I sprinted toward the entrance of the woods, making me stumble and my heart miss a beat as I snatched my backpack and pressed it to my chest. Before I could process that I was being shot at, a second arrow struck the membrane of my right wing. A third found its target in my right shank almost at the same time.

Blinding pain immediately exploded in those areas, and with a loud cry I fell over and landed face first in the snow. Reflexive tears streamed down my cheeks as I reached for my leg, being barely able to think past the pain. This was much, much worse than the snapped bone in the wing.

My eyes travelled back to my pursuers that were closing in on me again.

A wave of panic swept over me, which made more flames burst out of my body. The trees closest to me were set on fire and turned the arrows in my wing and leg to ash.

Some parts of my clothes and the backpack as well caught fire though it didn't burn my skin. It never did. The azure blue flames felt warm and comforting to me, like a caress.

This time the bat-men weren't affected by them either. Glowing spheres that surrounded each of them protected the bat-men from the fire.

Bloody hell, I was screwed... or maybe not?

For some reason they didn't come closer to me, the centre of the blue firestorm.

Did the heat affect them?

Another arrow that was aimed at me turned to ash as soon as it left the glowing sphere. Then, an orange bolt of light that resembled an arrow came from the direction of one of the bat-men but evaporated before it reached me.

It appeared that I was safe for the moment. The flames wouldn't keep them away from me forever, though. I knew that there had to be some kind of limit to the blue flames since they appeared to use this strange, warm well of power inside me as fuel. I needed to escape the bat-men before it ran out.

Blinking my tears away, I forced myself to get back on my feet and bit my lip hard enough to draw blood as I put some weight on my injured leg, letting out a pained sob. I almost blacked out because of the hellish pain that flashed through my body.

As if that wasn't already bad enough, each movement of my wings hurt like a bitch, too, and there was also my general muscle soreness and exhaustion. I felt miserable.

But I couldn't afford to stay here now that I knew the bat-men had bad intentions. Clenching my teeth, I gathered my remaining strength and willpower and walked, or rather, limped as fast as I could without putting too much weight on my injured leg.

It didn't work well, though. I wasn't moving quick enough and the firestorm raging around me was getting weaker by the second. I limped through the burning forest, hoping that it would further help to keep the bat-men at a distance.

As expected, the bat-men followed me, but from the sky, where the flames couldn't reach them, which didn't bode well for me. What if they decided to wait this out?

Maybe getting eaten alive by the monstrous bear mutants would have been better than whatever these bat-men had in store for me. At least it would've been a quick death.

A thick tree branch, that must have already been loose when the tree caught fire, crashed down right in my path and caught me by surprise. It missed me by a hair's breath, but made me land on the broken wing as I dived out of the way. This time I really blacked out for a few seconds as blinding pain shot through me.

When I opened my eyes again I was unable to get up.

Even though my eyes went in and out of focus, I gazed up at the sky, at my pursuers. My sight was blurry and diminished due to the smoke, but I swore I could see their dark looks of triumph and expressions that promised me even more pain.

Was this how it was going to end?

Suddenly, several red glowing arrows hit the orange shield of one of the bat-men. A dark shadow crashed into it only seconds after, driving the bat-man inside back and breaking through his shield. Ironically, it was another bat-man who'd attacked my assaulter.

The two of them battled in the air before the newcomer nearly cut my would-be kidnapper in two with his sword. The injured bat-man fell from the sky like a stone and into the blue flames, that engulfed his body.

Meanwhile, my other attackers had been driven apart by two more newly arrived bat-men. They yelled something that sounded like insults at the newcomers. One of them used blue magic arrows to break through my assaulters' shield before he overwhelmed him in a fight mid-flight and cut his throat with a knife, sending the bat-men down into the flames.

I gaped in horror at the brutality of the fights. I definitely did _not_ want to meet the three newcomers who seemed to be even stronger than my attackers.

I groaned as I rolled over onto my stomach and pushed myself up to my knees with my last ounce of strength, once again biting through my lower lip in the process thanks to my sharp, elongated canines. Cold sweat was running down my face and back as I held back the scream that wanted to escape me when I moved my injured limbs.

I risked another glance up at the sky.

I really shouldn't have done that.

My fear skyrocketed when I witnessed the death of the last of my assaulters. A wave of pure darkness and stars rolled over him as he tried to escape, broke his shield as easily as one would crack a raw egg, and... devoured him.

Nothing but blood red dust that scattered in the wind was left behind.

My breath was taken away.

Holy shit, what the hell was _that_ bat-man?!

I'd be screwed if he – or any of them – discovered me. Even my fire wouldn't help me here – I needed to put some distance between me and those demons. 

I crawled forward, through the burning forest, trying not to faint because of the painful injuries, and avoided falling branches and tree trunks as best as I could.

Maybe I'd be lucky and the newcomers would overlook me?

As if they had read my thoughts, one of them yelled something in my direction, over the crackling forest fire, and followed me from above judging from the loud beats of his large wings.

I grimaced. Of course my luck failed me not a second after I'd thought about it.

I continued crawling forward, deeper into the forest, even though I was aware that I wouldn't be able to escape them. It was only a matter of time until everything in the area had been completely consumed by the fire and it would die down.

These damned monsters were sorely mistaken if they thought I'd give up without a fight, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our favourite bat-men are here 🦇


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the amazing feedback! It really motivated me to write this chapter as quickly as possible!

It was the first time in half a century that the three of them were flying together, hunting together, and Azriel was relishing every second of it even if it didn't show on his face. The Shadowsinger had thought that it would never happen again, that he'd never see his High Lord and brother in all but blood again.

Yet, here they were, one month after Amarantha had been killed and an incredibly pale Rhys showed up in Velaris.

Their relief had quickly turned into anger and the three males ended up fighting each other. Cassian and Azriel berated Rhys for his stupidity, for going alone to Amarantha's party almost fifty years ago, and for hindering them from leaving Velaris with his spell, lest they risk the city's safety.

After the fight they'd gotten dead drunk and shared what they'd experienced over the past decades. Rhys haltingly told them about the horrors he'd been through, though they could all tell that he withheld a lot. Amren and Mor had joined them by that point.

Amarantha was fortunate that she was already dead, the Shadowsinger thought darkly, considering what he'd had in mind for her for what she'd done to Rhysand, to all of them.

Now they were hunting down the Illyrian war-bands that had betrayed Rhys and joined Amarantha, and, in extension, Hybern's side. They'd travelled to one of the hostile camps Azriel had found and eradicated it – only the children and females were spared – but a small group of warriors managed to escape since they were out hunting when the three of them attacked.

They'd tracked down and dispatched half of the group and were now searching for the other half. In their search the three brothers in arms came across a peculiar piece of land in the Illyrian mountains – a large area that was covered in ashes and burnt remnants of trees instead of snow. The scent of untamed, potent magic still hung in the air even though it had become faint.

Something had incinerated these trees with fire magic.

The ability to control fire was rare, however, and only Beron and his brood and a few more High Fae from the Autumn Court were capable of it. The mere thought of Eris and his brothers invading the Night Court territory made Azriel's blood boil with quiet, icy-cold rage.

It was a very unlikely scenario, though. They were in the midst of the Illyrian mountains and the forest that had been burnt down didn't hold any importance. Additionally, none of his spies had reported that anyone important from the Autumn Court had left their territory. He told his companions about this.

“Who or what did this then?” Cassian wondered.

“Hybern?” Azriel mused though he was doubtful of that.

“Hmm.” Rhysand thought about it. “Possible. I can't fathom why they would do something like this, though. Their scouts would have maintained a low profile.”

“We should search for tracks,” the Spymaster suggested.

And that was what they did. There were two trails that led to and from the ash field as well as paw prints from the creatures that lived in these mountains.

The trails made by boot prints in the snow were what they were interested in. One of the trails had been made by clean boots and led further up the mountains while the other started with dirty imprints. The latter was clearly the one that was made after the forest had burned down.

The boot imprints itself were curious because they were rather small and belonged to only one pair of boots with a strange sole pattern. This meant that there was only one person out here, alone in the Illyrian mountains.

A rather bold move considering the creatures that roamed the mountains at night. Maybe this mystery Fae could winnow?

They decided to follow the newer trail first in the hopes of catching up to whoever had burned down the forest. This was more important than hunting the rogue Illyrians since it was too unusual to be brushed aside. They'd dispose of the traitors afterwards.

As the hours passed while they were flying – they took a few breaks on the ground to eat or drink something Rhysand had stored in his pocket dimension – and getting closer to the Illyrian Steppe, they came across more areas like the first one and tracks from the local creatures.

Had the lone wanderer defended himself against them? That would explain the seemingly random destruction.

During one short break Azriel noticed something else when he looked more closely at the tracks they'd landed next to.

“The Fae we're searching for has wings,” he told his companions and pointed at the imprints in the snow.

They must have dragged the tips of their wings through it to leave such marks. The three of them hadn't noticed it when they followed the tracks from the sky.

“Okay, this is getting stranger by the minute,” Cassian said. “If the Fae we're looking for has wings, why would they _walk_ all this way and why would they suddenly drag them through the snow? If they were injured, we would have seen some blood on the way.”

No Illyrian or any other winged creature they knew of would purposely drag their wings through the snow because they wouldn't want to risk injuring them.

Rhys wore a thoughtful expression as he stared at the tracks.

“What kind of Fae has wings and is able to control fire anyway? I can't think of any,” Cassian continued.

Azriel watched Rhys, suspecting that he might have an idea about what kind of Fae they were dealing with. “You have a hunch, don't you?” the Shadowsinger asked him softly.

Rhysand crossed his arms in front of his chest and furrowed his brows. “It's... It should be impossible. No one has seen one in millennia, everyone thought they were extinct...”

“Out with it, don't keep us in suspense,” Cassian was already tired of the cryptic hints.

Rhysand sighed. “A firedrake.”

Cassian gaped while Azriel waited for his High Lord to elaborate.

“You have to be shitting me... Weren't dragons huge, scaly creatures several times the size of a regular Fae? How can a firedrake wear boots?” the General of Rhys' armies asked once he'd overcome his surprise.

Rhysand smirked. “There are old records that say they could take on a form that is similar to that of a High Fae.”

“Seriously?”

Rhys shrugged. “That's what the stories say. There haven't been any dragon sightings in over five millennia, so I don't know how accurate they are. I guess we'll find out when we see it.”

“See _her_ ,” Azriel corrected him. “Considering the size of the boot prints the firedrake is either a female or a child.”

None of them wanted to imagine a child of any species out here in the steppe.

“Okay then. Maybe this firedrake is a female,” Cassian agreed. “That still doesn't answer my questions. Why would she walk all this way rather than fly and why would she suddenly drag her wings through the snow?”

“Maybe she can't use her wings or keep them tucked up for long because of an old injury?” Rhysand speculated.

“There's also the possibility that firedrakes have backward customs similar to Illyrians,” Azriel said in a tone of silent loathing. “Maybe her wings have been clipped – in a way that makes her unable to keep them raised for extended periods of time.”

There was a moment's silence between the three warriors. They all hated how some of the more traditional Illyrian war-camps still crippled their females even though Rhysand had banned the practice. More camps had been doing it during Amarantha's reign.

“Do you think there's a community of firedrakes that no one knew about somewhere in these mountains?” Cassian asked them, changing the topic.

“Well, we'll find out about that soon, I assume,” Rhysand said. “She can't be far now.”

“And just in time. I'd hate to be out here during the night.”

The sun would set in less than an hour.

“Afraid of being attacked by one of the old horrors that live here, Cass?” Rhys teased him.

“Maybe they're related to the thing that lives at the bottom of the library,” Azriel added innocently.

Cassian, one of the strongest Illyrians to ever live, paled at the mention of it. “Oh, shut up, you jerks.”

* * *

They'd been following the tracks from the sky for almost half an hour when, suddenly, a blue light lightened up the sky in the distance, further down the steppe and in the direction they were headed to. It quickly grew in brightness, illuminating the darkening landscape. The forest was on fire.

“I guess the search is over,” Cassian said over the wind. “Any ideas why the fire is blue?”

“Blue flames burn hotter than orange ones,” Azriel commented.

He'd heard that from a weapon smith once.

“The stories do mention that dragon fire can burn through almost anything, so that makes sense,” Rhys informed them.

“What else do the stories say?” Cassian asked, clearly interested in the topic.

However, before they could continue their conversation, they spotted three familiar shapes hovering right above the burning forest. They were fixated on someone or something on the ground, which was why they didn't see them approach.

“Looks like we also found the bastards we were originally hunting.” Cassian smiled grimly.

“I just love it when things drop into my lap like this,” Rhys purred, his star-specked darkness flowing out of his wings and hiding them.

“They're fixated on the firedrake, aren't they?” Azriel guessed.

Their High Lord's look in his eyes became distant as he used his _daemati_ abilities on the traitorous Illyrians. “Our firedrake is indeed a female. When they discovered her, they thought they could... have some fun with her. The two who held her down were incinerated before it could get that far, though. Unfortunately, these three injured her wings and leg, so she wouldn't be able to get away from them. They don't dare to approach her, however, because they're unsure whether their shields can protect them long enough to reach the female and the heat of the fire troubles them, too.”

An Illyrian's magic shield could protect them from fire, but the heat was another matter, and magical fire or any other magic could break through it if it was strong enough. Even from this distance Azriel could smell the wild magic in the air and feel the heat of the blue flames that burned much hotter than normal ones.

“Traitorous assholes with no honour,” Cassian cursed – like Rhysand and Azriel he deeply despised Illyrians or males in general who had no respect for females and tried to do things to them against their will.

Azriel silently agreed, more than ready to dispose of the traitors as well. The possibility that the female was an ally of Hybern was becoming less and less likely though they would question her after they were done with the Illyrians.

When they were close enough to the Illyrians, Rhys let go of the darkness that had hid them. The others immediately noticed them and knew what was in store for them judging by their hostile expressions and body language. The moment the news of Amarantha's death had reached them, they knew that Rhysand would come to kill them one day.

“One for each of us?” Cassian asked.

“One for each of us,” Rhys confirmed, not bothering to explain himself to the traitors.

Cassian formed red, magical arrows with his seven siphons that contained his immense power and threw them at his chosen target. The other warrior, who possessed only one siphon, hardly stood a chance against him. The fight was over quick, if you could even call it that.

“You damn bastards!” one of the remaining Illyrians yelled after his comrade had fallen and threw his own green magic arrows at them.

They were easily blocked by the large red shield Cassian created in the blink of an eye.

“We'd rather die than serve half-breed abominations like you!” the other traitor added and aimed a magical spear at them.

Azriel didn't even deign him a response before he attacked him, finishing his opponent with Truth-Teller. The Illyrian plunged into the flames, like the one Cassian had killed.

The third Illyrian finally seemed to realize that he wouldn't be able to win or survive this and had the gall to try to escape while screaming that the King of Hybern would kill Rhys and enslave his people.

Rhysand quickly turned him into mist.

“Well, that was underwhelming,” Cassian quipped, flicking the blood off his sword with a hand movement.

“What did you expect? We're amazing,” Rhysand joked back.

“True.”

Azriel shook his head at his friends' antics and their enormous egos. “What about the female?”

“Right.”

Rhys flew as close down to the forest ground as he could without being burned or dying of a heatstroke and introduced himself over the fire, telling the firedrake with an appearance similar to that of an Illyrian female that she was safe now and that they could treat her wounds if she wanted once she extinguished her flames.

The female ignored him and crawled away with a bag at her side, her injured and broken wings hanging limply from her back and dragging over the ground.

Azriel winced internally. That couldn't be comfortable.

“Maybe she didn't hear you?” Cassian guessed.

Rhysand frowned. “Maybe.”

He tried it again as they followed her from above but received no response.

“Maybe she's deaf?” Cassian wondered.

Or perhaps she didn't want to have anything to do with them, Azriel surmised. Understandable, considering that they must look just like the other Illyrian brutes to her.

“Or our Rhyssie's charm is failing him!” Cassian teased his friend before he yelled his own introduction.

The female hissed something that sounded like a curse, but none of them understood what she said.

“That sounded like gibberish to me,” Cassian said, watching the injured female that hadn't looked up at them yet with growing concern. “You think she hit her head?”

Rhysand remained silent and used his _daemati_ abilities to find out why the female wasn't answering them. A few minutes of hovering in the air and waiting later, the mind reader turned to them with an incredulous, almost wondrous expression on his face.

“And?” Cassian asked, getting impatient since that had taken longer than usual.

“She's not from this world,” Rhys answered, his voice sounding a little rough.

“What.”

Azriel was as surprised as Cassian by this revelation but waited for his High Lord's explanation.

“She's not from this world,” Rhys repeated.

“I heard you fine the first time. But, Rhys, are you sure? You mean she's like Amren and entered this world through a rip in the fabric between the worlds all those millennia ago?”

Their High Lord shook his head. “No, not like that. She – Stella – has only been in Prythian for a couple of days and there seems to have been a portal, a 'stone circle' as she called it, involved that made the travel between our world and hers possible. From what I've seen in her memories, it was ancient, very powerful magic that brought her here against her will. She didn't even know magic existed until then and has never heard of our world or Prythian before.”

“Why would she not know about magic if she can clearly use it?” Azriel asked after he'd processed Rhys' explanation.

“Stella's world is ruled by mortals. It's unlike anything I've ever seen; they have technologies and machines that make up for their lack of magic. As far as she knows, there are no Fae in her world though there are legends about them. She believes she was a mortal until she was unwittingly transported to Prythian and couldn't use any magic before. She thinks this world is responsible for turning her into a monster.”

Azriel worked through the information he'd received and settled on a question. “And is this the case? Was she Made by the same magic that brought her here?”

Made like Feyre, the girl who'd freed Rhys and the other High Lords of Amarantha.

“It seems that way, but something doesn't sit right with me. Who or what was powerful enough to create a portal between two worlds? And why did it alter a mortal instead of just transporting her to Prythian? Why would Stella be turned into a firedrake of all things?” Rhysand wondered.

These were good questions indeed.

“Maybe Amren knows more about that,” Cass suggested.

“What are we going to do about the female?” the Spymaster asked.

Rhysand thought about his question with a contemplative look on his face.

“Were not going to leave her here, are we?” Cassian asked, his eyes resting on the broken wing of the injured female.

“No, we won't,” Rhysand decided. “I'd like to help her.”

Azriel suspected that his decision might be partially influenced by the mortal girl who'd freed him and the other High Lords. He couldn't deny that he was curious about the girl, too, but...

“Is that wise?” the Spymaster asked quietly.

“What the heck, Az,” Cassian turned to him. “She's basically a mortal stranded in a foreign world! And she's injured!”

“She can wield highly destructive magic if this forest fire is anything to go by. We also don't know what kind of person she is,” Azriel cautioned them, not being a fan of fire for various reasons. “We have to be careful.”

“You have a point. Stella can't control her magic, so she might accidentally use it whenever she feels threatened or like her life is in danger. I... might have to take control of that part of her while she's being treated and staying anywhere near the Night Court citizens.” Rhysand let out a sigh, not liking that he'd have to use his abilities on someone he wanted to help.

“Where are you going to take her? The Mountain Palace?” Azriel asked him.

The only thing she could burn down there was the palace itself. Azriel also wouldn't mind if she accidentally incinerated the people that lived under that mountain.

“Well, first I have to talk to Stella and actually make her the offer.” 

They landed just outside the burning forest and at a place from where they could see Stella while Rhysand did just that. They had to wait for the fire to burn out before they could approach her. Stella was in no condition to leave the forest and was sitting down with her bag clutched tightly to her chest as she stared at them with barely hidden suspicion in her bright eyes.

Something stirred in Azriel at the sight of her face though he couldn't see it very well due to the fire and smoke. He barely registered Rhys' words when he informed them how his mental conversation with the female had gone.

“She accepted my offer. She doesn't trust us because of what she experienced in the past few days and she has read rather nasty stories about Fae in her world, but she knows that she's in a precarious state and doesn't have much of a choice if she wants to survive.”

“If you say it like that, it makes us sound like the bad guys,” Cassian mumbled, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

It was uncomfortably hot here, but Azriel's shadows helped him to stay somewhat cool. Cooler than his companions at least.

* * *

By the time the blue flames had turned into normal ones most of the trees had completely burned down and it was night. The air was thick with the metallic scent of Stella's uncontrolled magic and the smell of burned wood and smoke.

In the distance they could hear the creatures of the mountain prowling around.

“This should be safe enough,” Rhys said and walked towards Stella. “I'm keeping a lid on her magic and took away some of her pain, just so you know."

Azriel and Cassian followed him across the ashy ground and dying embers, the Shadowsinger remaining ready to bring up his magic shield at any second. Stella fought to get back up on her feet, but didn't seem very steady on them. Even without feeling the pain she seemed exhausted.

The Shadowsinger took in her slender but well-proportioned figure and battered clothes that were burned in some places and made in a foreign design and of an unknown fabric. One of the pants' legs was damaged and he could see blood and even bone peeking out between the flesh.

Her black wings that were so similar to theirs but smaller hung limply down, one of them clearly broken, which displeased Azriel despite his reservations regarding her. Stella's long, black hair was partially covered with ash and two ivory horns peeked out of it, pointing slightly backwards and curling up at the tips.

Her tanned skin was dirt-stained and sweaty and her lips were painted red by dried blood – she must have bitten them. She was exhausted but hid any other emotion apart from her distrust behind a blank mask.

Azriel breathed in her scent just as he took a proper look at her face for the first time and they made eye contact, her piercing azure blue eyes glowing with her power.

Despite her bad physical state she took his breath away.

The Shadowsinger stiffened and his shadows stilled as something clicked into place inside him, as if a question he'd been asking his whole life had finally been answered. A fragile but very present bridge of pale light appeared in his mind, leading to the female in front of him.

Even without experiencing anything like it before, Azriel immediately knew what it was. Every instinct in him screamed it at him.

“Azriel?” Rhysand was the first to notice that there was something amiss.

Azriel couldn't tear his eyes away from her even though his staring clearly unnerved her.

 _Her._ His _mate._

He vaguely registered that his High Lord asked him what was wrong with him and this time the Shadowsinger answered in a slightly breathless tone, unable to keep the words in.

“She's my _mate_.”

He couldn't believe that he actually had one and that he'd found her. He certainly wasn't worthy of a mate.

Cassian gaped at him, then at Stella, then at Azriel again. “What the fuck?”

Rhys' eyebrows had shot up at Azriel's announcement. “It seems this day is full of surprises.”

Stella furrowed her brows and gave them a look of total incomprehension.

* * *

 _Azriel just paid you a compliment_ , Rhysand explained via his telepathy when I wondered why his friend had reacted so weirdly to me and wanted to know what he'd said to me.

I couldn't fathom why someone would compliment my dirty, stinky and sweaty self, but maybe these bat-men uh, Rhysand had called them Illyrians, I think, were attracted to that kind of thing. I also wondered why the one with longer hair had gaped at me and his friend.

Okay, fine, this Azriel was the most handsome man... _male_ I'd ever seen, even though he had huge wings on his back and shadows curling around him as if they were living things, but that didn't mean that I wanted him to stare at me as if I had two heads.

It was creepy. _He_ was creepy and incredibly dangerous. They all were.

At least I didn't have to fight them like I'd first thought. I still wasn't sure whether accepting Rhysand's offer and help was clever after he'd introduced himself and explained where I was, but I could hear the demonic beasts howling in the distance and darkness was growing in my vision.

Rhysand had taken my pain away with his mind-reading abilities – as if I needed another reason to fear these Fae – but that didn't change that I was injured, starving and exhausted. I doubted that I'd survive another night out here in my state.

 _Madja, one of my most trusted healers, will treat your wounds_ , Rhysand informed me.

Since we spoke entirely different languages his telepathy was the only way to communicate, even though I had no idea how _that_ even worked.

Rhysand said that we were going to winnow – apparently, Fae like him could teleport – and that he needed to stay in control of my magical abilities until Madja was done with treating me because I myself didn't have any control over them and he didn't want to risk that one of his people got hurt if I unwittingly used my fire.

I had to admit it made sense and sounded prudent even if the thought of having someone, who was capable of turning people into dust and able to read my mind, take control of a part of me was more than a little terrifying. The invisible claws and presence that I could feel in my mind were unsettling to say the least.

I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I'd really ended up in the world of Fae and that Rhysand was actually the ruler of these lands and his own court.

The Night Court.

The place that was also called the Unseelie Court in the stories I'd read about Fae. Wicked faeries that meant harm to mortals lived there according to the legends. From what I'd experienced so far, that description fit this place.

It didn't help that the High Lord of the Night Court was in the company of the Commander of his armies and his Spymaster. And that the latter of which was still creepily staring at me.

Rhysand had explained that the Illyrians who had attacked me were actually traitors that had sided with his enemy and thus needed to be put down before they could join his army and cause more harm.

I was lucky that he and his companions had arrived just in time to dispatch my attackers but was still suspicious of my saviours and their motives. I couldn't forget how ruthlessly they'd killed.

But out here my death was certain. I needed medical attention and food.

Once more I eyed the three tall, armed, and muscular males that were brimming with power and were so unlike any men I'd ever seen. Like the other Illyrians they had that strange radiance to them, were ridiculously attractive, were wearing the same leather armour and had the same bat-like wings as my would-be-kidnappers, but they didn't have the same hostile air about them.

 _One of us will have to carry you since we need to fly a part of the way. Who would you be the most comfortable with?_ Rhysand asked me after talking with his companions.

Wow, we were going to fly? And one of them had to carry me?

That was going to be an experience. I wasn't eager to be carried by a stranger, especially in my state, but I couldn't deny that a part of me was a tiny little bit curious what it was like to fly though the thought also frightened me at the same time. It'd be different than flying by plane.

I eyed the three winged males in front of me – at least Rhysand had given me the choice to decide which one of them should carry me.

The Commander who was called Cassian gave me a friendly smile that softened his handsome but slightly rougher features. Rhysand gave me an expectant look as he waited for my decision, while Azriel's expression was unreadable again, his poker face impeccable compared to mine.

I quickly made my decision and gestured at Rhysand, unsure if pointing at someone was considered rude in this world. He was the only one who could communicate with me, so I hoped the flight with him would be less awkward than it would be with one of the others.

Rhysand gave me a charming smile after glancing at Azriel and receiving a barely noticeable nod from him. I wondered what that was about. Wasn't Rhysand the High Lord and in command?

 _Excellent choice_ , he told me and stepped closer.

I held my scorched backpack to my chest as he bent down and carefully lifted me up, one arm in the bend of my knees, the other around my back, just underneath the wings. They hung limply down since I didn't have any strength left to lift them and he avoided touching them.

Azriel and Cassian both placed a hand on Rhysand's shoulder and then we were gone in a flurry of darkness and wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are interested: I have no idea how to accurately describe Stella's horns, but in my imagination they are similar to Maleficent's, only more slender, slightly smaller and smoother because they're similar to ivory.
> 
> It's been a while since I've read the books and I only own ACOFAS in the English version, so I hope I've kept the boys in character. Book translations can be weird.
> 
> On another note, was it ever mentioned in the books how Amren entered the House of Wind? Did Cassian or Azriel fly her to the balcony, or did she use the stairs? I can't imagine her doing either 🤔
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and Azriel's POV!


End file.
